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18 December 2008

Tourism in Greece affected by recent events

The modern Greece is known for two things: a highly efficient shipping industry and remarkable tourist destinations. These industries have yielded billions of dollars for the country and have become the lifeblood of the people and the government.

Although the shipping industry is doing well even with the danger of Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean, the second major source of income of Greece is in peril. Riots and strikes happening around the country have practically crippled the tourism operations in the country. The strikes in Acropolis have stopped the operations of different tourist destinations. The riots on the other hand, have gravely placed the tourists in danger of being caught in violence. As a result, fewer and fewer tourists are opting to visit Greece.

Hotels around the country are now experiencing cancellation of bookings. The city of Thessaloniki has now more than 2,000 reservations on hold because of the violence happening around the country. Clash with the police during riots are common and different countries have now issued travel warnings to its citizens.

The strikes in Greece were caused by low wages but what really placed the country in turmoil were the riots. This was caused by the accidental death of a 15-year old protester named Alexandros Grigoropoulos. After a short commotion with the police last December 6, the 15-year old protester was hit with a gunshot in his heart from the police which caused his immediate death. This was actually a small protest which is slowly escalating because of continuous criticism of the government. But the death of the teen protester fuelled the anger of citizens around the country.